Australian travel agency Flight Centre Ltd. (FLT:ASX) has bought Vancouver-based Govoluntouring.com for an undisclosed figure.
Govoluntouring.com lists potential volunteer opportunities around the world. It allows travellers to search for volunteer opportunities based on critieria such as age, fitness, cost and interests.
The company started as part of an in-class project that founder Aaron Smith produced while attending Victoria’s Royal Roads University.
He came up with the idea for the site when he was volunteering in Costa Rica, building a house for a single mother. He realized that many volunteering opportunities were not promoted well and that many people wanted to volunteer had no way of knowing about them.
Smith will be based out of Flight Centre’s Vancouver office, which is also the global company’s Canadian headquarters. He said it made sense for a travel agency to acquire his venture.
“All the volunteers need to get to where they are volunteering,” Smith told Business in Vancouver February 6. “They have to be confident that they have the right insurance and right flights. The volunteering is often in places that are not touristy and in smaller towns, so getting there can require a more complicated travel itinerary.”
Flight Centre, meanwhile, is coming off a successful travel expo February 4 and 5 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The company holds travel expos twice a year in Vancouver, and this was the first time that it expanded the expo to two consecutive days.
About 9,000 people attended the trade show, despite sunny weather and the final day being Super Bowl Sunday.
Glen Korstrom
@GlenKorstrom